‘This isn’t army where you get bullied cause you chao geng’: Intern asks why there’s a stigma against MCs

SINGAPORE: When an intern brought up the issue of medical certificates and employees who work even while they’re sick, it spawned a lively discussion on the work culture in Singapore in general, which many agreed leaves much to be desired.

“Why is there a stigma around MC?” asked u/HugeWestern6853 in a recent post on r/askSingapore.

The intern explained that they see many of their full-time colleagues reporting to work even when they have runny noses, the flu, or a fever.

“When I asked them why they didn’t take MC,” the medical certificate issued by a doctor that attests to a person’s inability to work, “they couldn’t really reply and even said, ‘I feel paiseh to take MC.”

“Why do we have this mindset even at a civilian workplace?” they asked, adding that “this isn’t the army where you get bullied cause you chao geng,” or fake an illness or injury.

Many of the Reddit users who answered the post author’s question pointed to the work culture in Singapore.

“Singaporean work culture is some of the harshest in the world. I know people who work high up in MOH, and if they take MC, their director will literally say to them, ‘taking sick holiday ah?’ implying that they’re not actually sick but just taking a holiday. Any time off work is viewed as slacking, so people — even in the Ministry of Health — go to the office sick. Clearly nobody learned from COVID,” one claimed.

Another added, “Someone I know in civil service, in her first trimester, foolishly) told her boss she was pregnant. Instead of congratulating her, his first response was, ‘Who’s going to take over your work when you go on maternity leave?’ His next comment — ‘Oh, this means you’re going to be on MC regularly for the next few months.’

A commenter added that this attitude towards pregnant employees can also be found in the private sector.

“Not just in civil service, in MNC as well. When the employee told her angmo HR director that she was pregnant, he asked, ‘Are you kidding me?’ Toxic.”

“That’s so dumb. Going to work when sick prolongs recovery, thereby affecting work efficiency in the first place. Sounds like a terrible place to be in,” a Reddit user weighed in.

“You don’t get bullied when you chao keng, you get fired and/or get your income/promotion impacted. Depending on your stage of life, the latter is arguably worse. People generally look down on both MC abusers and people who come to the office sick,” another wrote.

“Such a hard place to be in, if you are sick and take MC by being responsible, they will look at you poorly, but if you are accountable and do work despite being sick, they despise you for being socially irresponsible,” a Reddit user replied. /TISG

Read also: ‘Lost at work due to lots of mind games’ — Worker says her employer cut off her contact after probation for being sick